CHARTER AND BY-LAWS 



OF THE 



Massachusetts Horticultural 
Society 






Massachusetts Horticultural Society. 



The Committee appointed in accordance with the vote of the 
Society at its meeting of July 5, 1902, to consider the revision of the 
Society's Constitution and By-laws have given the matter much con- 
sideration, and now take pleasure in submitting to the members a draft 
of a code of By-laws. 

They earnestly recommend to the members to be present at the 
meeting to be held at Horticultural Hall, 300 Massachusetts Avenue, 
Boston, next Saturday, January 3, 1903, at 1 1 o'clock a.m., when 
action will be taken on these By-laws. 

Under the existing Constitution, amendments to be finally 
adopted must be presented at two meetings, and you will therefore 
be called upon to attend again at the April meeting. The Committee 
unanimously recommend the acceptance of these By-laws by the 
Society. 

HENRY P. WALCOTT, 
RICHARD M. SALTONSTALL, 
C. MINOT WELD, 
EDWIN H. JOSE, 
WILLIAM H. SPOONER, 
WARREN W. RAWSON, 
JOHN K. M. L. FARQUHAR, 
Boston, December 30, 1902. Committee. 



^A^to'^ 



CHARTER OF THE SOCIETY. 

AN ACT TO INCORPORATE THE MASSACHUSETTS 
HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 

Section i . Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Rep- 
resentatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority 
of the same, That Zebedee Cook, Jr., Robert L. Emmons, 
William Worthington, B. V. French, John B. Russell, J. R. 
Newhall, Cheever Newhall, and Thomas G. Fessenden, their 
Associates and Successors, be, and they hereby are incorpo- 
rated, under the name, and by the description of the Massa- 
chusetts Horticultural Society, for the purpose of encouraging 
and improving the science and practice of horticulture, and 
promoting the amelioration of the various species of trees, 
fruits, plants and vegetables, and the introduction of new- 
species and varieties ; with power to make by-laws not incon- 
sistent with the Laws of the Commonwealth, for the regula- 
tion of said society and the management of the same and of 
its concerns ; to receive donations, bequests and devises, for 
promoting the objects of said society ; to lay and collect 
assessments on the members not exceeding two dollars per 
annum ; to enforce the payment of such assessments by ac- 
tion for the same ; to purchase and hold real estate to the 
amount of ten thousand dollars, and personal estate to the 
amount of twenty thousand dollars ; to elect a treasurer, sec- 
retary and other officers, — the appointment of which shall be 
provided for in the by-laws of said society ; the meeting for 
the election of such officers to be called at the times and in 
the manner provided in such by-laws ; to empower the presi- 
dent, directors, comptrollers, treasurer, committees, or other 
officers or members, or any attorneys, agents or representa- 
tives of said society, to transact the business, manage and 



apply the funds, discharge the functions, and promote the 
objects thereof ; to authorize any of the members or officers 
of said society to fill vacancies in the various offices of the 
same, that may happen in the intervals between the meetings 
of the members for choosing officers ; and to commence and 
defend suits. 

Section 2. Be it further enaetcd. That in 'case the said 
corporation shall, at any time, contract debts beyond their 
means and ability to pay at the time of contracting the same, 
the officers or other agents of said corporation, so contracting 
such debts, shall be personally liable for the same. 

Section 3. Be it further enacted, That any member of 
said corporation may cease to be a member thereof, by giving 
notice to that effect to the president, treasurer, secretary, or 
other officers, and paying the amount due from him to the 
society. 

Section 4. Be it furtJier enacted. That the first meeting 
of the members of said corporation may be called by any two 
or more of the persons named in the first section, by giving 
one week's notice, or more, by advertisement in any newspaper 
printed in Boston. 

Section 5. Be it furtJier enacted. That this Act may be 
altered or repealed at the discretion of the Legislature. 

Approved June 12, 1829. 

The Acts in addition to this Act (other than those relating 
to Mount Auburn) are : — 

1. An Act authorizing the purchase and holding of real 
estate to the amount of fifty thousand dollars, approved Feb- 
ruary 5, 1844. 

2. An Act authorizing the purchase and holding of real 
estate to the amount of one hundred thousand dollars, ap- 
proved April 25, 1853. 

3. An Act authorizing the holding of real estate to the 
amount of two hundred and fifty thousand dollars, approved 
March 4, 1863. 

In csclungQ 

liAfl 2 1916 



3 

4. An Act exempting from taxation such portions of real 
estate and buildings belonging to incorporated horticultural 
societies as are used for their offices, libraries and exhibitions, 
approved April 19, 1884. 

5. An Act authorizing the holding of real and personal 
estate to an amount not exceeding one million dollars, ap- 
proved May 2, 1895. 



BY-LAWS 



OF THE 



MASSACHUSETTS HORTICULTURAL 
SOCIETY. 



PRELIMINARY. 

These By-laws shall, except as hereinafter provided, go into 
effect on the morning of the first day of January, 1904. 

The officers of the Society provided for in Section I. of these 
By-laws, other than the Delegate to the State Board of Agri- 
culture, whose terms shall begin on the first day of January, 
1904, shall be elected at a meeting of the Society to be held 
on the second Saturday after the first Monday of November, 
1903. 

The present Delegate to the State Board of Agriculture 
elected at the nieeting held on the first Saturday of October, 
1902, to serve for three years, shall hold office until the first 
day of January, 1906, and his successor shall be elected at the 
annual meeting of the Society to be held in November, 1905. 
Appropriations for prize§ and gratuities to be awarded in the 
year 1904 shall be made at said meeting to be held on the 
second Saturday after the first Monday in November, 1903, 
on the recommendation of the existing Executive Committee ; 
but no other appropriations shall be then made calling for any 
disbursements after the first day of January, 1904. 

The ballots for such election shall be printed by the Secre- 
tary, and the names of candidates nominated for each ofifice 
shall be printed thereon in alphabetical order, and the voting 
shall be as provided in Section XV. of these By-laws. 



5 

Nominations for officers to be elected at said meeting to be 
held on the second Saturday after the first Monday in 
November, 1903, shall be made as provided in Clause 2 of 
Section XIV. of these By-laws, and in no other manner ; and 
the Secretary shall, immediately on receiving them, post such 
nominations in some public place in the Society's building. 
The Secretary shall also send a notice of said meeting to 
every member of the Society, as provided in Section I. of these 
By-laws. 

No officer of the Society, professor, or member of any 
board or of any committee, shall be elected or appointed until 
said meeting, for a period expiring later than the 31st of 
December, 1903; and the existing Constitution and By-laws 
are hereby amended or repealed, so far as may be necessary to 
make this section effectual. 



SECTION I. 

MEETINGS. 

The annual meeting of the Society for the transaction of 
business and for the election of officers, — namely, a President, 
two Vice-Presidents, a Treasurer, a Secretary, a Delegate to 
the State Board of Agriculture, a Board of Trustees, and a 
Nominating Committee, — shall be held on the second Satur- 
day after the first Monday in November, and the officers 
elected shall enter upon their duties on ' the first day of 
January ensuing. 

In addition to the annual meeting there shall be held a 
meeting at noon on the first Saturday in January in each 
year to be called the inaugural meeting, at which the Presi- 
dent shall make an inaugural address, and the Treasurer and 
Secretary, whose terms of office expired on January first pre- 
ceding, the Board of Trustees, the Library Committee, the 
Committee on Lectures and Publications, and every existing 
committee appointed by the Board of Trustees under the 



provisions of clause (8) Section IX. of the By-laws shall 
each make a report to the Society for the j^receding year. 
No business e.xcept the hearing of such address and the 
acceptance or rejection of such reports shall be transacted at 
the inaugural meeting. 

Special meetings of the Society may be called by order of 
the President, or by any five of the Board of Trustees, or 
upon request of fifteen members of the Society. 

A notice of each meeting and of every adjourned meeting 
shall be mailed by the Secretary to each member at his last 
address appearing on the records of the Secretary at least ten 
days prior to the meeting ; and the notice of a special meeting 
shall specify the business to be considered at such meeting, 
which shall be proposed as provided in Section II., and no 
business other than that specified shall be transacted thereat, 
and no new business shall be transacted at any adjourned 
meeting. 

Thirty members shall constitute a quorum at any meeting 
of the Society. 

SECTION II. 

POV/ERS RESERVED TO THE SOCIETY. 

The Society may, except as herein provided, by vote of its 
members, at any annual meeting or special meeting called as 
provided by Section I., transact any business lawful under its 
Charter and By-laws ; may instruct the Trustees and other 
officers of the Society ; and the vote of the Society shall 
supersede the action of any of its officers : provided, however, 
that acquired rights of third parties shall not be thereby 
impaired. No vote calling for any appropriation of money or 
any sale or conveyance of .any of the Society's property shall 
be valid without the approval of the Board of Trustees, except 
that the Society may, by a \ote of a majority of all its mem- 
bers, authorize such sale or conveyance of the real estate 
belonging to the Society without the approval of the Board of 
Trustees. 



The Trustees, or any five of them, or any fifteen members 
of the Society, may propose business to be considered at any 
special meeting, of which proposed business notice shall be 
given as provided in Section I. No sale of the Society's real 
estate, and no expenditure or contract therefor amounting to 
more than five thousand dollars for any one purpose, shall be 
valid and binding on the Society unless authorized by a vote 
of the Society. 

SECTION III. 

OFFICERS. 

The officers of the Society shall consist of a President, two 
Vice-Presidents, a Treasurer, a Secretary, a Delegate to the 
State Board of Agriculture, a Board of Trustees of fifteen 
members, a Nominating Committee of five members, and such 
other officers and committees as the Board of Trustees shall 
appoint, according to Section IX. : provided, however, that no 
person shall be eligible to any office unless he shall have been 
a member of the Society for two years preceding. 

SECTION IV. 

THE PRESIDENT. 

The President shall be elected annually by the Society, and 
shall be ex officio a member of the Board of Trustees. His 
duties shall be to preside at the meetings of the Society and 
of the Board of Trustees ; to preserve order ; to state the 
business before the meeting ; to state and put questions ; 
and, in case of an equal division on any question, to give the 
casting vote ; and to call for accounts and reports from all 
committees. 

SECTION V. 

THE VICE-PRESIDENTS. 

There shall be two Vice-Presidents, who shall, except as 
provided in Section X., be elected by the Society on alternate 



8 

years, and shall serve two years. In the absence of the 
President, the senior Vice-President present shall exercise all 
the authority, privilei^es, and powers of the President ; and, in 
case neither the President nor either Vice-President shall be 
present at any meetin<^, the meeting shall choose a President 
pro tempore, who shall be in\-ested with all the powers and au- 
thority of the President. 

SECTION VI. 

THE TREASURER. 

The Treasurer shall be elected annually by the Society, and 
shall have the following powers and duties : — 

{a) He shall have charge of the funds of the Society, and 
shall deposit the same in such bank or trust company as the 
Board of Trustees shall direct, where his account as Treas- 
urer shall be kept ; and all payments shall be made by 
check. 

{b) He shall attend to the renting of the Building and the 
collection of the rents and other income of the Society. 

{c) He shall pay prizes and gratuities upon the written 
order of the Board of Trustees or the chairman of any com- 
mittee authorized by said Board to give such order, and shall 
pay no bills until audited by an officer designated by the 
Board of Trustees. 

{d) He shall have the care and custody of the seal of the 
Society and of the dies for the medals ; and he shall cause 
the medals to be struck and certificates of merit to be pre- 
pared, when required, and shall deliver them as awarded. 

{/) He shall have in his safe keeping the bonds, deeds, 
notes, certificates of stock, and other evidences of property, 
unless the Board of Trustees shall otherwise direct. 

(/) He shall, unless the Board of Trustees shall otherwise 
order, make all transfers and investments, with the consent 
and approval of the Board of Trustees. 

{g) He shall pay the taxes, insurance, interest on loans, 



and other debts, and keep a correct account of the receipts 
and disbursements of the Society. 

{h) He shall, in January of each year, send to every annual 
member a bill of the amount due from him. 

(z) He shall, as early in the year as possible, present to 
the Board of Trustees a full statement of receipts and ex- 
penditures for the preceding year. The fiscal year shall 
commence on the first day of January, and all assessments for 
the ensuing year shall be due at that time. He shall annually 
make a report to the society at the inaugural meeting at the 
close of his term of office. 

{j) He shall give bond for the faithful performance of his 
duties in such sum and with such sureties as shall be ap- 
proved by the Board of Trustees. 

{k) He shall not make or issue any note or other negoti- 
able instrument unless expressly authorized in each case so 
to do b)' the Board of Trustees who shall in each case in 
their vote containing such authorization provide that such 
note or other obligation shall not be valid or binding on 
the Society until countersigned by some person designated 
in such vote : provided, however, that he may be given 
authority by a general vote of the Board of Trustees to draw 
checks on the funds of the Society on deposit, as provided 
in Clause {a) of this Section VI. 

He shall, in the discharge of all his duties, be subject to the 
control of the Board of Trustees. 



SECTION VII. 

THE SECRETARY. 

The Secretary shall be elected annually by the Society. 
He shall conduct the correspondence of the Society, and 
shall keep copies of the same in a book provided for the pur- 
pose which shall be open to the inspection of the members at 
any meeting. He shall receive and read all letters and papers 



lO 

addressed to the Society, and shall dispose of them as pro- 
vided by the By-laws or directed by the Society or by the 
Board of Trustees. He shall re^^ularly record the proceed- 
ings at every meeting and every adjourned meeting of the 
Society in a book to be kept for that purpose. He shall 
call special meetings of the Society when ordered or requested, 
as provided in Section I. 

He shall give notice to each person of his election to office 
or membership in the Society. He shall record the election 
of every member, and report his name and residence to the 
Treasurer. He shall deliver to the Board of Trustees a copy 
of the proceedings of each meeting, whenever requested, and 
shall prepare and countersign all diplomas or certificates of 
membership. 

He shall prepare for each annual election an alphabetical 
list of the members of the Society. 

He shall, under the direction of the Committee on Lect- 
ures and Publications, act as editor of the publications of the 
Society, prepare them for the press, and superintend the 
printing thereof. He shall make notes, for publication, of 
meetings for discussion of horticultural subjects, and shall 
perform such other literary work as may be directed by the 
Society or the Board of Trustees, or as may not be otherwise 
provided for. 

In the absence of the Secretary at any meeting the Presi- 
dent shall appoint a Secretary /rt; tempore. 



SECTION VIII. 

DELEGATE TO THE STATE BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 

The term of office of the Delegate to the State Board of 
Agriculture shall be for three years, and he shall be chosen 
at the annual meeting whenever his term of office is about 
to expire. 



II 
SECTION IX. 

BOARD OF TRUSTEES. 

The Board of Trustees shall consist of fifteen members, 
including the President and the two Vice-Presidents, who 
shall be members of the Board ex officiis. Four members in 
addition to the President and one Vice-President shall be 
chosen each year, except as provided in Section X., and shall 
serve for the term of three years. 

The Board of Trustees shall hold stated meetings on the 
first Saturdays of January ^ April, and October in each year. 
Special meetings of the Board may be called by the President 
or by a call signed by any two members of the Board on at 
least three days' notice, which may be given by mail at the 
last address of the member so notified appearing on the 
records of the Secretary. This notice may be waived in 
writing. Eight members of the Board shall constitute a 
quorum thereof. 

In the absence of action by the Society as provided in 
Section II., the Board of Trustees shall have and exercise the 
following powers and duties : — 

(i) They shall have general charge and direction of the 
business of the Society. 

(2) They shall have the care and management of the 
Society's real estate, and may lease the same, or any part 
thereof, and make all necessary repairs ; but no sale of the 
Society's real estate, except sales of shares in real estate 
trusts, so called, held by the Society as part of its invested 
funds, shall be valid without a vote of the Society authorizing 
such sale. 

(3) They shall have the care and management of the So- 
ciety's invested funds and other personal property, with power 
to invest, reinvest, and transfer the same in their discretion, 
or they may authorize and approve transfers and investments 
made by the Treasurer, as provided in Section VI. They shall 



12 

have the care of all stocks, bonds, and other personal prop- 
erty of the Society, but may leave the custody of the same 
in the Treasurer, as provided in Section VI ; and they shall 
annually audit, or cause to be so audited, the Treasurer's 
accounts. 

{4) They shall consider and pass upon all questions of the 
appropriation of money, and shall, at the annual meeting, 
recommend to the Society the amount to be appropriated for 
prizes and gratuities and such other appropriations as they 
may deem advisable during the ensuing year. They may, 
however, subject to the provisions of Section II., make such 
additional appropriations for the purposes of the Society as 
they deem proper. 

(5) They shall appoint the following committees : a 
Finance Committee^ a Library Committee, and a Committee 
on Lectures and Publications. The members of the Finance 
Committee shall all be members of the Board of Trustees. 
The members of the Library Committee and the Committee 
on Publications need not all be members of the Board of 
Trustees. 

(a) The Finmicc Committee. — - The Finance Committee 
shall, except as herein provided, have and enjoy all powers 
and duties given by this Section IX. to the Board of Trustees 
in relation to the care and management of the Society's prop- 
erty, real and personal, other than its Library. 

{b) The Library Committee. — The Library Committee 
shall, except as herein provided, have all powers given 
by this Section IX. to the Board of Trustees in relation to 
the care and management of the Library of the Society. 

(r) TJie Conimittee on Lectures and Publications. — The 
Committee on Lectures and Publications shall superintend all 
publications of the Society and have the direction in each 
year of six or more lectures and essays on horticultural sub- 
jects, including that provided for by the John Lewis Russell 
Fund. 

In addition to these committees the Board of Trustees may 



13 

appoint such other committees from among their number as 
they see fit, and may delegate to such committees any of their 
powers ; but no expenditure or contract for expenditure ex- 
ceeding five hundred dollars at any one time, and no appoint- 
ment of committees or officers of the Society, and no election 
of members thereto, shall be valid or binding without the 
action of a majority of the full Board of Trustees at a legal 
meeting. 

Any powers given to any committee by the provisions of 
this clause (5) and any powers delegated to any such commit- 
tee by special vote of the Board of Trustees, may be with- 
drawn or limited by vote of said Board at any subsequent 
time. The Board may at any time remove any or all of the 
members of any such committee, and substitute others in 
their places.' 

(6) They shall appoint a Superintendent of the Building 
and a Librarian of the Society, and define their duties, except 
when these are determined by the By-laws, and may remove 
them or either of them, and appoint others in their stead, 
whenever, in their opinion, the interests of the Society shall 
require it. They may employ such additional assistants as 
they deem best, and shall determine the compensation of all 
officers and agents of the Society. 

(7) They shall arrange for six or more exhibitions of 
flowers, plants, fruits, and vegetables in each year, and shall 
have the entire charge of all arrangements for conducting the 
same. 

(8) They shall appoint each year the following standing 
committees, the members of which need not be members of 
the Board of Trustees : (a) on plants and flowers ; (d) on 
fruits ; (c) on vegetables. Each of these committees shall con- 
sist of three or more members. They shall also appoint each 
year a standing committee of five or more members on gar- 
dens. The President shall be one of this committee ex 
ojficio. In addition to the standing committees named in this 
Clause (8) the Board of Trustees may appoint such additional 



M 

committees as may be required for conducting special exhibi- 
tions and for awarding prizes, and may, in their discretion, 
appoint persons from outside the membership of the Society 
to act as judges to award prizes either alone or in conjunction 
with any committee. 

The Board of Trustees may delegate appropriate powers to 
any of the committees appointed under this Clause (8), except- 
ing the power to appropriate money 'or to dispose of prop- 
erty of the Society. They may at any time revoke powers so 
delegated, and may at any time, in their discretion, remove 
any member of any such standing committee and substitute 
any other in his place. 



SECTION X. 

FIRST ELECTION' OF VICE-PRESIDENTS AND BOARD OF 
TRUSTEES. 

At the first meeting at which officers are to be elected, two 
Vice-Presidents .shall be chosen, one to hold office until the 
qualification of his successor chosen at the annual meeting in 
November, 1904, and one to hold office until the qualification 
of his successor chosen at the annual meeting in November, 
1905. 

There shall also be chosen at said meeting twelve mem- 
bers of the Board of Trustees in addition to the President 
and two Vice-Presidents, so that the total number of said 
Board shall be fifteen. Four of said Trustees, other than the 
President and Vice-Presidents, shall be elected to and shall 
hold office until the qualification "of their successors chosen at 
the annual meeting in November, 1906 ; four shall be elected 
to and shall hold office until the qualification of their suc- 
cessors chosen at the annual meeting held in November, 
1905 ; and the remaining four shall be elected to and shall 
hold office until the qualification of their successors chosen at 
the annual meeting held in November, 1904. 



15 
SECTION XI. 

THE LIBRARIAN. 

The Librarian shall have charge of all books, drawings, 
engravings, herbariums, and other articles appertaining to the 
Library, and shall attend to the purchase, recording, cata- 
loguing, arranging, binding, delivering, and receiving of 
books : these duties to be performed under the direction of 
the Board of Trustees or other committee thereof duly au- 
thorized or of the Library Committee. He shall, as far as 
possible, assist' those desiring to use the Library in their in- 
vestisrations. 



SECTION XII. 

THE SUPERINTENDENT OF THE BUILDING. 

The Superintendent of the Building shall, under the gen- 
eral direction of the Board of Trustees, or the Finance Com- 
mittee, or other committee thereof duly authorized, or under 
the direction of the Treasurer, if the Board of Trustees shall 
so vote, have charge of the premises, and shall see that they 
are kept clean and in good repair, and that all Rules ajid Reg- 
ulations in regard to their care are strictly enforced. 



SECTION XIII. 

VACANCIES. 

Whenever a vacancy occurs in any office of the Society, 
such vacancy shall be filled by the Board of Trustees until 
the next annual meeting, when candidates shall be nominated 
as provided by these By-laws to fill the remaining term, if 
any, for which the vacancy exists. 



i6 
SECTION XIV. 

NOMINATING COMMITTEE. 

(i) A Nominating Committee of five members shall be 
elected by the Society at its annual meeting. Said commit- 
tee shall nominate at least twice the number of candidates re- 
quired to fill each office of the Society. Said committee shall 
file such nominations with the Secretary at least one month be- 
fore the annual meeting. The Secretary shall, immediately on 
receiving such nominations, post the same in some public 
place in the Society's Building. 

(2) Nominations for any office, in addition to those made 
by the Nominating Committee, may be made, by papers 
signed by fifteen or more members of the Society, and de- 
posited with the Secretary at least two weeks before the 
annual meeting. The Secretary shall, immediately on receiv- 
ing such nominations, post the same in some public place in 
the Society's Building. 

(3) The Secretary shall have the ballots printed under 
direction of the Nominating Committee. Each ballot shall 
state the number to be elected for each office and the names 
of candidates for each office shall be printed in alphabetical 
order. If any ballot is marked for more than the required 
number, the ballot shall be declared void as a vote for that 
office for which the excessive number is marked. Only such 
candidates shall be voted for as shall have been nominated 
as above provided in clauses (i) and (2) of this section. 



SECTION XV. 

VOTING. 

All elections of the Society shall be by Australian ballot ; 
and the polls shall be continuously open between the hours of 
twelve noon, and four in the afternoon on the day of the 
annual meeting. 



17 

The President or presiding officer shall appoint a committee 
of three to receive, assort, and count the votes given, and re- 
port the number. A plurality shall elect, and the President 
shall declare who are elected. 

Voting by proxy shall not be allowed at any meeting. 



SECTION XVI. 

MEMBERSHIPS. 

Any member may propose candidates for life or annual 
membership to the Board of Trustees. Such proposal shall 
be in writing and shall be accompanied by a statement of the 
quahfications of such candidate for membership. On any 
candidate being so proposed, said Board shall cause his name 
and the name of the member proposing him to be posted for 
at least one month in some public place in the Society's Build- 
ing. During said "month any member may file with the Sec- 
retary a written protest against the election of said candidate, 
and no candidate shall be eligible against whom thirty or more 
such protests have been so filed. At the first meeting of the 
Board of Trustees held after the expiration of the month 
during which the name of the candidate has been so posted, 
his name shall be voted on by such Board ; and he shall be 
elected by a majority of the full number of such Board so 
voting. The candidate so elected shall qualify himself for 
membership within six months from the date when notice of 
his election is given him, or his election shall be void. 

LIFE MEMBERS. 

A payment of thirty dollars shall constitute a life member- 
ship, and exempt the member from all future assessments ; 
and any annual member, having paid all dues, may become a 
life member by the payment of twenty dollars in addition 
thereto. 



ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP. 

Every niinual member, before he receives his diploma or 
exercises the privileges of a member, shall pay the sum of 
ten dollars as an admission fee, and shall be subject after- 
wards to an annual assessment of two dollars. 

PRIVILEGES. 

Each member of the Society shall be entitled to the follow- 
ing privileges : — 

1 . To be present and vote at all the meetings of the So- 
ciety. 

2. To have personal access to the Library, and to consult 
any of the periodicals, books, or plates, or to examine any of 
the models belonging to the Society, under rules established 
by the Board of Trustees. 

3. To have free admission to all the exhibitions of the 
Society, for himself and his immediate family. 

4. To receive all the publications of the Society under rules 
established by the Board of Trustees. 



SECTION XVII. 

WITHDRAWAL OR DISCONTINUANCE OR EXPULSION OF 
MEMBERS. 

Any member may cease to be a member by giving notice 
to that effect to the Secretary and paying the amount due 
from him to the Society. Any member who shall neglect for 
the space of two years to pay his annual assessment, after 
due notice from the Treasurer, shall cease to be a member. 
The Treasurer shall give notice of such withdrawal or dis- 
continuance to the Secretary, who shall erase such members' 
names from the list. 

If any member shall dishonor the Society, or shall be guilty 
of any breach of good faith thereto, he may be expelled at 
any meeting of the Society, two-thirds of the members 



^9 

present voting therefor. But no member shall be expelled 
unless a written notice of the motion be served by the 
Secretary upon him personally, or left at his last or usual 
place of abode, at least twenty days before it is acted upon. 



SECTION XVIII. 

HONORARY AND CORRESPONDING MEMBERS. 

The Society may, upon recommendation of the Board of 
Trustees, elect Honorary and Corresponding Members at any 
annual or special meeting, to each of whom the Secretary 
shall transmit a Diploma or Certificate of Election, under the 
seal of the Society, signed by the President and countersigned 
by the Secretary ; and such members shall not be entitled to 
hold office or to vote at any meeting. 



SECTION XIX. 

PRIZES AND GRATUITIES. 

Prizes and gratuities may be awarded by the Board of 
Trustees, or by such committees or judges as may be ap- 
pointed by them for such purpose, to any person for the ex- 
hibition of any fruits, plants, flowers, or vegetables, either 
new of their kind or of uncommon excellence ; or for any 
new and successful method of cultivating any variety of 
fruits, flowers, plants, trees, shrubs, or vegetables ; or for 
any other object immediately connected with horticulture ; 
or for the essential advancement of the objects of the So- 
ciety in any other way. But no gratuity shall be awarded for 
any object which shall have been entered or exhibited for a 
prize. No award shall be made for any unworthy exhibit, 
and no gratuity given shall be of a larger amount than the 
lowest price established for the same exhibit. 



20 



SECTION XX. 



AMENDMENTS. 



Lmendments to the By-laws may be proposed in writing 
by any member of the Society to the Board of Trustees at any 
meeting of the Board of Trustees held at least two months 
before the next annual meeting of the Society, and, on being 
approved by a majority of the Board, shall be filed with the 
Secretary in their original form or as amended at least thirty 
days before such annual meeting, and shall subsequently be 
submitted to such annual meeting ; or any thirty members 
may propose amendments to be acted upon at any annual 
meeting of the Society, without the approval of the Board 
of Trustees, by filing the amendments in writing with the 
Secretary thirty days at least before such annual meeting. 
The vote on each amendment shall be " Yes " or " No." 

The Secretary shall, at least three weeks before the meet- 
ing at which the same are to be considered, mail a copy of 
every proposed amendment to each member of the Society at 
his last address appearing on the records of the Secretary. 

All amendments proposed shall be printed on one ballot, 
with a space for voting " Yes " or " No " opposite each 
amendment, thus : — 



If you wish the amendment adopted, put a cross 
under " Yes." If not, under " No." 



(Here the subject of the amendment.) 



YES. 


NO. 







Any amendment shall be adopted if it receives two-thirds 
of the votes cast. The polls shall remain open for the pur- 
pose of voting on any proposed amendments between the 
hours of noon and four in the afternoon, and the voting shall 
be by Australian ballot. 



LIBRftRY OF CONGRESS 




